ha'armon
by contrite shadow
Summary: Another day; another serial killer.   Original Character:  1. Clair-Castle's ex.   2. Luther-Clair's dog.  3. Sasha-Castle's friend.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This story contains aspects of the Jewish faith, with a couple of details tweaked slightly to make the story work. If this is likely to offend you, hit the back arrow. If you choose to read anyway, rest assured that I have made an effort to treat the subject with respect, as I would any religion.

* * *

><p>Original Character:<p>

Clair; Castle's recently ex-girlfriend. First appears as a murder suspect in "Castles in the Air"

Luther; Clair's dog, originally rescued by Castle. First appears in "The Haunted Castle"

Alexandra "Sasha" Beketov; aka The Chess Killer, prison inmate and Castle's friend. First appears as a serial killer in "In Defense of the Castle"

* * *

><p><span>ha'armon: transliteration of the Hebrew word for Castle<span>

Friday morning at the precinct things are unusually relaxed. The detectives are finalizing the paperwork for their most recent case. Castle is kept busy enough making coffees and distracting all of them with paper planes and other such antics, when an officer gives him a letter that was delivered with the precinct's mail. Confused for a second, he recognizes Clair's handwriting and excuses himself, to read it in private. Esposito asks Beckett, "First time he's heard from her?"

"Far as I know, yeah."

Ryan says, "Did you see the look on his face, when he realized it was from Clair?"

Beckett agrees, "Yeah. Though, other than his two-day bender, you wouldn't know how much he's hurting." A little saddened, she says, "He's getting better at hiding his emotions."

Ryan can't resist asking, "Now where do you suppose he learned how to do that?"

Used to his friendly teasing, Beckett's only reply is to glare at him and say, "Get back to work."

Without Castle's "help" the work progresses well, but is less fun. It's only when Beckett wants another coffee and none appears by her hand that she realizes Castle has been gone a long time and goes to check on him. She finds him in the empty conference room, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall and a faraway look on his face. Not wishing to intrude on his privacy, she doesn't enter but asks, "You ok, Castle?"

He looks up and says, "Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry. I'm fine."

Beckett can see that he's holding the letter in his hands and says, "Bad news?"

"Not exactly." He holds out the envelope for her. So she takes it and sits down beside him to read it. Inside are a handful of postcards, all starting with "Hey, Rick" and signed only "-Clair":

Toledo, OH; Only a day away, and Luther is already missing you. I'll pick these up on the way and post them when I stop. I hope you're keeping your head down.

Minneapolis, MN; God, it's cold here. I woke up with Luther on top of my sleeping bag. Bit of a shock, considering who I was dreaming of.

Miles City, MT; I really like Montana. But it's not far enough away to feel safe. So we'll keep moving.

Spokane, WA; Drive here was so beautiful, that I almost want to do it again. But we're almost there now, and I'm tired of living out of my car.

Port Angeles, WA; End of the road. I'll get settled and then find a phone. I just realized that this road-trip is the first real vacation I've had in years.

Beckett reads the last one and asks, "Where the hell is Port Angeles?" Castle has already searched for it on his phone and shows her. Beckett asks, "Did she just keep going, until she ran out of land?"

"It's just how her mind works; the simplest and most direct option is best. She wanted to get away from New York, and chose the farthest place she could without leaving the country." After a pause he says, "There's one more."

Beckett reveals the last card, which is actually a photo of a pregnancy test; a positive pregnancy test. Shocked, she looks to Castle for verification and he nods. Beckett feels a twinge of pain at the news. But, when she remembers what this must mean to Castle she smiles and nudges him with her shoulder, saying, "Congratulations."

Bemused at what, for Beckett, is an ostentatious display of affection Castle smiles and nudges her back, saying, "Thank you."

"You didn't know about this?"

"Yeah, I knew. But I didn't have long to get used to the idea, before she left and…I guess it got too real too quick for my legs."

"So, you're ok with her maybe raising a child without you?"

"Well, I'm not thrilled. But it's the only thing she's ever asked of me. So, even though I hesitated, I'm not sure I was capable of refusing her."

"So, you're going?"

With a sad smile, he says, "Not unless she asks me. You, of all people, should know that I won't proceed without an invitation." At the sudden fear in Beckett's eyes, he stays true to his word and doesn't press her, instead saying, "She'll let me know if she wants me there."

Relieved, Beckett asks, "So, who are we telling?"

"God, I hadn't even thought of that."

When he doesn't immediately continue, Beckett suggests, "Maybe Martha? I doubt your life will be worth much, if you don't tell her first."

"An excellent point. It's been a while since I've done this. Isn't there some rule about waiting, or something?"

"Only if you're superstitious. It's up to you, Castle."

"Either way, I'm not going to be much use today. I'd better go home."

Beckett hands him the envelope and gets to her feet. Holding out a hand, she helps him up, saying, "That's ok, Castle. Without you helping, we'll finish early." And then asks, "Is poker still on tonight, or do you want me to let them know it's been postponed?"

"No, it's still on. I'll know by then if I want to share the news. If I do, it'll be with everyone at that table. If I don't, then I'll want a distraction. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For being a friend."

"Any time, Castle."

* * *

><p>Castle's apartment is empty when he returns home. He texts an "important, but not urgent" request for his mother to join him, and spends the interim reading the postcards yet again and searching for information about Port Angeles, Washington.<p>

Martha soon arrives, nervous despite him reassuring her in his message, and says, "What is it, Richard? Are you ok? Is Alexis all right?"

Holding up a hand to slow the onslaught, he says, "Everything's fine." Gesturing to the sofa, he says, "But you'd better sit down, just the same."

Having debated with himself how to tell her, he ends up just handing her the envelope, so she can find out the same way he did. When she's done, she looks at him, eyes shining with tears and says, "Oh, Richard. Was this something the two of you decided?"

"Yes." And then asks, "You're not angry?"

Just in case there's any doubt, she gathers him in a crushing embrace and says, "No, I'm not angry."

Sitting back, she asks, "But how do _you_ feel about it?"

With a shrug, he says, "Well, I was in shock for a while. But I'm definitely warming to the idea. Clair's promised to keep me in the loop." With a grin he adds, "And to be more forthcoming than you ever were."

"Richard. I don't keep it from you to punish you."

"I know. I made my peace with that a long time ago."

Looking at the photo again, she says, "Evidently. But are you sure about this?"

He laughs and says, "Bit late for such questions, isn't it? Besides, as you've often pointed out; I didn't turn out too bad."

Patting his cheek, she says, "Not too bad at all."

"The usual gang will be here tonight. I'm wondering whether to tell them? I know it's considered bad luck, but…"

Martha interrupts with, "I'm the superstitious one, Richard, not you. What do you want to do?"

Face breaking into a huge smile, he says, "I feel like celebrating." His smile dims a little as he continues, "But this isn't something I should decide without talking to Clair, and she's still unreachable. Beckett knows, because she found me while I was still recovering from the news. What about Alexis?"

"You know she'd handle it ok. But she'd also understand if you want to wait, until you've discussed it with Clair."

After considering for several seconds, Castle says, "Then I think that we'll keep it between the three of us, just for now, ok?"

"Ok, Richard. Thankyou for telling me."

With a grin, he confesses, "That was Beckett's idea. But I'm glad she suggested it. It hasn't quite seemed real until now, thank you."

Hugging him again, Martha says, "I'm sure it'll get all too real, very quickly. But I'm happy for you."

* * *

><p>After saying goodbye to his mother, Castle calls Beckett and says, "Just you and Mother for now. I need to at least discuss it with Clair, before I go telling even trusted friends."<p>

"Ok, Castle. It's your call. I'll see you tonight." When he doesn't reply, she asks, "Clair?"

After a second he says, "Yeah."

"Well, you have more chance of winning, without her there."

"I suppose so. I'll see you tonight."

Beckett can hear that he's still hurting and says, "In the meantime, you can get started on baby names."

He's silent for a few seconds more, but she knows he's now smiling because he says, "Thanks for that."

* * *

><p>This first date went well, so well that Ezrah is smiling as he walks home. He and Arella have a lot in common and she's pretty too, in a quiet way. Living his life by the Noahide Code has made dating difficult. For the first time he's seriously considering a second date. The fact that Arella let the back of her hand brush his as they said goodbye, makes him certain that she feels the same way. It's a promising violation of the taboo against unrelated men and women touching, because it hints at a passion not evident from her conservative dress and manner.<p>

Lost in pleasant thoughts, he almost walks into the Rastafarian. It's only when the stranger says "Shalom Aleichem" that Ezrah realizes he's looking at a Nazirite. Of course, he's read about the devotees, but never met one. Remembering his manners, he nods and says, "Aleichem Shalom".

The Nazirite holds out his hand in greeting and says something inaudible. Pleased at this opportunity to learn more about an almost extinct practice, Ezrah takes the offered hand and asks, "What was that brother?"

The stranger's grip is very strong and Ezrah is powerless to resist as he's pulled closer. A sudden hot pain burns through his chest as the man says, almost by Ezrah's ear, "May you never know any more pain."

Already going into shock, Ezrah automatically clutches the site of the increasing pain. It's only when his hand immediately slicks with blood that he knows he's been stabbed. He tries to cry out then, but the man holds one hand over his mouth and stabs him again. With his remaining strength, Ezrah fights back, to no avail. Soon the pain is too much to mean anything to him, and Ezrah's last thought is to wonder why his attacker would offer him words of comfort for someone in mourning.

* * *

><p>Castle is woken early the next morning by his cellphone. On seeing the caller ID he answers it, saying, "You know it's Saturday, right?"<p>

Beckett says, "Sorry, Castle. But there's news about that case Sasha asked me to look into."

"Oh?"

"I passed on the information to the Hate Crimes Task Force. They've been digging deeper all week, but hadn't got anywhere near solving it when a young, Jewish man was killed last night."

"You think it's the same guy?"

"Looks like it. Thanks to your heads-up we're already treating it as a serial killer case and the FBI is on the way."

"Jordan?"

"Uh huh. She called me, saying that she wants to talk to Sasha. Do you think she'd go for that? There's not much point setting it up, if she won't cooperate."

"I've no idea; I'll ask. When is the cavalry arriving?"

"Tomorrow."

"Wow, that's fast…hey, they didn't get here that quick when Sasha was after me."

Smiling at his indignation, she says, "No. But Hate Crimes have been working with the FBI since Thursday. So Shaw must have already set things up, just in case."

"Oh, ok then. I'll call the prison and get back to you."

* * *

><p>Thankfully, Castle's influence at the prison is enough to get Sasha on the phone, and greets her with, "How do you feel about entertaining another guest tomorrow?"<p>

"I suppose that depends on the guest."

"Special Agent Jordan Shaw of the FBI."

"They escalated to murder?"

"Yes, last night. Jordan is assisting on the case and wants to speak with you."

After a few seconds, Sasha says, "Ok."

She's seems too quiet, so he says, "I can still hang around for a game, if you'd like?"

"It's not that…I'm not sure you'll want to hear some of what's said."

"Sasha, you do know that I've assisted on several murders, right?" When she's still quiet he continues, "And that I already know you're a psycho killer?"

She laughs and says, "Ok, Rick."

* * *

><p>Castle then calls Beckett to say, "Sasha will speak with Jordan. If she gets here tomorrow, as expected, I'll take her there. You're heading to the scene?"<p>

"Yeah."

"Well, as I'm already awake, how about giving me a ride? I'll even throw in a coffee."

"Ok, Castle. I'll be there soon."

When Castle isn't waiting outside his place Beckett nods to the doorman on the way up to the apartment. Castle answers the door and runs a hand through his washed, but unbrushed hair and says, "Sorry; almost ready." Gesturing to the kitchen, he says, "Help yourself to coffee. I'll be two minutes."

Sure enough, almost exactly two minutes later he emerges from his room, coat and scarf in hand and says, "Let's go."

Once in the car, Castle asks, "Where we going?"

"East 1st Street, just past 1st Avenue."

Castle mutters, "The nexus of the universe."

"Sorry?"

"You know; from Seinfeld, _1__st__ and 1__st__ - How can a street intersect itself? I must be at the nexus of_…" When it's obvious she has no idea what he's talking about he asks, "Does Jordan have a profile of the killer yet?"

"Not yet. I think she's hoping to get some information from Sasha, before proceeding."

"Sasha seems to think that a lot of the attacks have gone unreported. Any news on that yet?"

"Yeah. Hate Crimes have been working with the Shomrim and they've uncovered many more; eighteen so far."

"Shomrim?"

"They're like a Jewish neighborhood watch. They have patrol cars, vests, radios; everything except guns. They're authorized to track and detain suspects for the NYPD." With a shrug she adds, "Unfortunately, sometimes they do more than detain. And sometimes, like now, they don't report to the police quick enough…or at all. But it's been working all right since the 1980s."

"Jewish vigilantes? How come I've never heard of this?"

"Not vigilantes, Castle. They're sanctioned and trained by police. And you've probably never heard of them because the Jewish communities prefer to keep to themselves. That's why the Shomrim was formed in the first place. People are much more likely to call them, before turning to the NYPD. Far as I know, there's no patrol active in Manhattan. But I'm sure they'll take an interest in this case."

Castle is already searching on his phone and says, "How do you spell…oh, I got it. This is so cool."

Smiling at his delight, and then says, "That reminds me; I wondered why Port Angeles sounded familiar. Does Clair know…"

"That it's one of the settings for The Twilight Saga? Almost certainly not. She's the only person I've met who works longer hours than you do. I doubt she's ever heard of the Cullens."

He chuckles and Beckett says, "What?"

"She's super smart, so I just think it's funny that she travelled across the country to get away from everything and ended up in a tourist town."

* * *

><p>The scene is a walkway from East 1st Street to East 2nd Street, between a large apartment building and a small park. Police and CSU are in attendance. After consulting with the uniformed officers and investigators, Beckett says, "Looks like the victim, Ezrah Baumann, grabbed some hair…long hair."<p>

Castle frowns and asks, "A woman?"

"Doubt it. They say it was a pretty vicious front-on attack; three stab wounds to the abdomen while the victim fought back. Not many women strong enough for that." Nodding towards the body, she says, "They're done. We can check it out."

The victim is young man wearing the black grab and yarmulke of an orthodox Jew. His jacket and shirt are open and the letters YHWH carved into his chest, and three wounds on his torso. There's little bleeding around the carved letters and Castle points to them, asking, "Post mortem?"

Smiling, Beckett says, "Look at you, talking like an ME. It's a pity Lanie isn't here to be impressed."

"Well, thanks for standing in for her."

Castle searches on his phone. When it's obvious he's found something, Beckett says, "Well?"

It's the Hebrew word for God; pronounced Yahweh, or sometimes Jehovah." After thinking about it for a few seconds he says, "If that Jewish neighborhood watch thought the attacks were done by one of their own, how would they react."

Beckett's eyes widen in understanding and she nods, saying, "They'd be reluctant to share the details with police. Nice one, Castle. That explains a lot."

Beckett already has her phone in hand. Castle hears her asking for Agent Shaw and squats down by the body for a closer look. He can see that the youth's side curls have been cut off. On closer examination, Castle can also see that part of the victim's short beard has been crudely shaved, leaving rather brutal shaving cuts. While waiting for Beckett to finish her call he searches online again. He's interrupted by Beckett saying, "Bored already, Castle?"

In answer he shows her the information he's found on a site explaining Jewish law pertaining to ancient mourning customs:

"We are forbidden to make four types of cuttings:

1) Cutting the head or hair

2) Cutting the face or beard

3) Cutting the flesh

4) Inscribing writing on the flesh"

Shocked, she looks at Castle and asks, "How did you do that?"

Smiling, he says, "Now, Beckett, if I tell you all my tricks you'd have no more reason to keep me around." And then adds, "Looking more and more like an inside job, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Can you send that to me?"

After a few seconds, he says, "Done. What's next?"

"Check out his address, right around the corner. Detectives from Central Homicide are there now. They might know more."

"Central Homicide?"

"You're learning a lot today, huh? Even I occasionally sleep. These guys take care of things when no one answers the phone at my desk."

Beckett is already walking through to East 2nd Street. Castle hurries to catch up and asks, "Just guys?"

Smiling, Beckett says, "Shopping for a new muse, Castle?"

"Are you kidding? It's taken me this long to get you to trust me. I'm not sure I have the strength to go through that again. No, I'll stick with you."

"Oh, ok. In that case there is one young, hot detective on their team."

Trying not to betray too much, Castle "casually" asks, "Oh?"

"Yeah, his name's Tom."

Shaking his head and trying not to smile, Castle says, "You're not nice."

End of Chapter One


	2. Chapter 2

Original Character:

Alexandra "Sasha" Beketov; aka The Chess Killer, prison inmate and Castle's friend. First appears as a serial killer in "In Defense of the Castle"

Matt Blood; ESU with NYPD, Beckett's ex. First appears as a hostage negotiator in "The Castle on the Hill

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Two: ha'armon-transliteration of the Hebrew word for Castle<span>

Beckett and Castle walk the short distance to Ezrah Baumann's apartment. Inside, Beckett introduces Castle to detectives Tom Wright and Ian Bram. And then Beckett explains her presence, "The family will want the body released immediately. So I wanted to get a look at the victim while I can." And then she says, "Oh, Castle found something." She lets Castle show the site he discovered, and the detectives are suitably impressed. When Castle is done showing off, Beckett asks, "Mind if we take a look around?"

Wright says, "Go ahead. Not much here though; the guy lived a cleaner life than Gandhi. It'll all be in our report. We know he was on a first date last night at Katz's Deli." Checking his notes, he continues, "With an Arella Jelinek. Her address is within walking distance of Katz's, and we were just on our way out. If you've seriously got nothing better to do with your Saturday, you can catch up with us at the deli, before we interview Ms. Jelinek?"

"Ok, thanks. We won't be long. I just want to get a feel for the guy."

"Then we'll see you soon. Nice to meet you, Rick."

After they leave, Castle says, "Wow, he really is pretty. Did you two ever…?"

"No, Castle. You're more his type. I'm surprised you didn't notice. His voice was practically dripping with lust as he said goodbye."

"What? No. Really?"

As they search the room, Beckett notices Castle occasionally glancing at the door and asks, "Oh my God, you're considering it, aren't you? I thought that you're 100% straight?"

"Me too, but did you see him? He's a young Johnny Depp; only better looking." Grinning, he adds, "And he lusts me."

"You're incorrigible."

"Yes, that's been said of me before. But it means incapable of correction, or improvement. So, wouldn't the fact that I'm considering trying something new make me _corrigible_?"

"I suppose so. But I was actually referring to the fact that all you apparently need to be completely attracted to someone is for them to be attracted to you."

"Oh, that. Yeah, that's true." Grinning again, he says, "You know what that says about you, right?"

"Ok, we're done here. Let's catch up with your boyfriend."

Taking her change of subject as yet another sign of victory for him, Castle follows with a smile on his face.

* * *

><p>When they arrive at Katz's, the two detectives have had time to order coffee and bagels for everyone. Castle says, "Thanks. My stomach was getting ready to devour itself. Beckett dragged me out of bed and I didn't have time for breakfast." At the looks on their faces, he says, "With a <em>phone call!<em> Get your minds out of the gutter."

With Castle momentarily silenced by food, Beckett asks, "Find anything?"

Bram answers, "Nothing pertinent to the case. Apparently they lingered over an early dinner for nearly four hours, chatting the whole time, and left together around 9pm. I presume he walked her home. We'll soon find out."

Wright adds, "Sounds like a nice first date. She's not going to appreciate our visit."

Beckett agrees, "No one does." Castle is looking intently at all the other patrons, so Beckett says, "Got something, Castle?"

"Me? No." Slightly embarrassed he confesses, "This place has been the setting for a few movies." Nodding to Wright, he says, "We got Donnie Brasco right here. So somewhere is Harry and Sally."

Wright quotes to Castle, "I bet you can't get through breakfast without saying three words."

Castle smiles and quotes, "You lose."

Beckett rolls her eyes and says to Bram, "Why don't we conduct the interview and leave the boys to look for fake orgasms."

Castle is still eating and chokes on his bagel. Recovering from a coughing fit, he says, "Sure you don't need me?"

"Positive."

After Beckett and Bram leave, Castle says, "She was a little too quick with that _positive_, don't you think?"

Smiling, Wright says, "I'm sure she's just messing with you. It's obvious that your partnership is working. With the 12th precinct's closure rate becoming legendary, I'm surprised anyone is stupid enough to commit murder around here."

"We're becoming legendary?"

"Amongst law enforcement, sure."

"Funny, Beckett hasn't mentioned that." After a pause, Castle gets brave enough to say, "Beckett thinks you like me."

Nervous for a second, Wright see nothing in Castle's demeanor to concern him and replies, "I do."

"Then I should probably tell you that I'm a lifelong heterosexual."

Used to such a rebuff, Wright nods his understanding and then realizes something and asks, "Then why did you mention it?"

With a grin, Castle says, "Well, my life isn't over yet."

* * *

><p>Once they're out of earshot, Bram says to Beckett, "I presume you have a reason for ditching them?"<p>

"Not a good one. But it's obvious that Tom is into Castle, so I'm just giving them the chance to get acquainted."

Confused, Bram says, "But I thought that you and he…?"

"Nope. Never have been. I really need to put out a bulletin to refute that rumor."

Bram smiles and says, "Wouldn't that be more likely to confirm it?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Bram asks, "So, Castle is gay?"

Beckett shrugs and says, "Not so far. But you know Tom; he can't go anywhere without someone falling for him. I guess today it's Castle."

They're both in professional mode as they approach the Jelinek residence. Bram's knock on the door is answered by a middle-aged Jewish man. Bram makes the introductions and asks to speak with Arella Jelinek. The man says, "I'm her father. Is Arella in trouble?"

Bram says, "No, sir. We just want to ask her a few questions about her whereabouts last night. You're welcome to be present for the interview, if Ms. Jelinek wishes it."

After considering for a few seconds, Mr. Jelinek says, "Come in."

The apartment is clean and neat. Almost every wall is decorated with family portraits. Mr. Jelinek and Arella sit together on the sofa and Bram begins, "Thankyou for speaking with us Ms. Jelinek. Do you know an Ezrah Baumann?"

Arella's eyes widen in surprise and she says, "Yes. I met him last night. We had dinner together. Is he ok?"

Beckett answers, "I'm afraid not. Mr. Baumann was murdered last night."

The detectives can recognize genuine shock when they see it. Arella reaches for her father's hand and clutches it for comfort, and she says only, "Why?"

Bram says, "We don't know that yet. Was there anything, or anyone who seemed suspicious last night?"

Arella gives it serious thought and says, "No. No, we had dinner, talked for a while and then he walked me home around 9:30. I presume he went straight home after that."

Mr. Jelinek says, "I was not happy with Arella being out so late on a Friday. But the young man bothered to apologize and assured me that it would not happen again."

Beckett asks Arella, "Do you know anyone who might have had a reason to kill Mr. Baumann?"

"Yesterday was the first time we've spoken, other than by email. He seemed like a nice man; dedicated to our faith. I can't imagine anyone would want to kill him."

Bram asks, "Was the date arranged by a matchmaker?"

With a nervous glance at her father, Arella confesses, "No. Neither of us have had much luck with intermediaries. We met on JDate."

Mr. Jelinek looks surprised, but says nothing. Bram looks at Beckett, who shrugs, so he says, "Ok. That's all we need for now. Thank you. If you think of anything that might help us, please contact police."

* * *

><p>Castle and Wright are waiting outside the delicatessen when the detectives return. Beckett can't resist asking, "Any orgasms?"<p>

Realizing that he's amongst friends, Wright grins and says, "Not yet."

Castle gasps in shock and has another coughing fit, looking everywhere but at Wright. Beckett is failing at concealing her smile, when she asks, "You ok, Castle?"

"Yep. Yeah, I'm fine." He lies, "Just a bug." And then changes the subject, "Did you find anything?"

Bram answers, "Nothing. Looks like he was a nice guy, who no one would want to kill. Unless, of course, it's a hate crime, in which case there'll probably be more victims."

Beckett says, "The Task Force and the FBI are all over it. Hopefully, we'll find the guy before he gets to anyone else." And then says, "Well, I think that's enough for me. Castle?"

"Yeah, enough for me too. Nice to meet you guys."

When Beckett and Castle are gone, Bram says, "I think you scared him."

"Only a little. I'm seeing him tonight."

Concerned, Bram says, "You know he's straight, right?"

"Yeah, he told me. But he's fun to be around, so it should be a good evening whatever happens."

* * *

><p>In the car, Beckett says, "I take it from you nearly choking to death on air, that things went well?"<p>

Frowning slightly, Castle reveals, "Yeah, I have a date…tonight."

"You don't look very happy about it. I'm sure Tom will understand if you change your mind."

"No, I'll give it the old college try. Besides, I owe it to my writing to take this opportunity. I'm just…nervous, I guess. Can't remember the last time that happened." Beckett can't help smiling and he says, "You find this amusing?"

"Well, yeah. This is a whole new side of you. It's actually kind of refreshing…and fun watching you squirm."

"Well, it's nice to know that I can still surprise you…still surprise myself, apparently." And then says, "Time to change the subject, before I have palpitations. Are we heading to the precinct?"

"No. A friend of mine is hosting an early Christmas party this afternoon, before the madness starts."

"You have friends? Sorry, that didn't come out right. I meant; you have friends that I don't know about?"

"Castle, I have a lot of things you don't know about."

"Like what?"

"Like my own version of the old college try."

Clutching his chest, Castle says, "Oh, oh. There are the palpitations."

* * *

><p>Sunday morning, Castle has at least had time for breakfast before Beckett calls. He answers, "Not another one already?"<p>

"No. The FBI team has arrived earlier than expected. Shaw wants to consult at the precinct before visiting Sasha. You busy?"

"No. I can do that."

"Ok. Pick you up in thirty minutes?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Half an hour later, Castle is waiting outside his apartment when Beckett arrives. She greets him with, "What, no coffee?"

"Sorry. I thought you would have had one already…you're teasing me."

Smiling, she says, "Yes. How was your date?"

With a shrug, he says, "Interesting."

"So, what's the verdict?"

Castle smiles and says, "You worried that I'm off the market permanently?"

"Just curious."

"Well, you needn't be concerned. Apparently I'm more gay than I thought, but not nearly enough to make that work. He is sweet though. I let him take a photo to remember me by."

"Aren't you worried it might end up on Facebook or something?"

"Well first of all, he's a gentleman, so I doubt it." And then he grins and says, "And second, no one would believe that it's real."

At the calculating look on Beckett's face he says, "Uh, uh. Don't even think about trying to get a peek, Beckett. If you want to see me that much of me you'll have to buy me dinner first." And then asks, "How was the party?"

"Interesting."

"Oh?"

"My friend's uncle had a heart attack. Thankfully another guest knew CPR, so we kept working until an ambulance arrived."

"How's the uncle?"

"Recovering well, apparently."

"Busy Saturday for you then?"

"And looks like being a busy Sunday too. No doubt Shaw will want to get started ASAP."

"No doubt."

* * *

><p>The precinct is a flurry of activity, as the FBI team move in and set up their equipment. Shaw greets Beckett and Castle and then says, "Thanks for coming in. Castle, is there anything I should know about Sasha Beketov before I speak with her?"<p>

"Don't call her Alexandra, unless you want to piss her off." With a grin, he says, "And don't try to hurt me, unless you want to end up unconscious on the floor."

Shaw says, "Fair enough. What exactly did she tell you about this case?"

"Uh, she asked me to tell Beckett that the perpetrator might be escalating, because they had been using scissors, but swapped to a knife. She said that a knife is more intimate. I think that was all. Oh, she also suggested that a lot of the attacks hadn't been reported."

"And she knows that we have a murder victim?"

"Yeah."

"Ok. Let's go."

* * *

><p>Apparently even special agents have to go through security before entering a prison. It's not yet time for visiting hours. But Sasha is waiting in the empty communal visiting room, so Castle knows that Shaw set this up. A CO hovers nearby, but not close enough to be intrusive. As Castle kisses Sasha's cheek in greeting, he notices that her hands are cuffed. Looking at the officer, he says, "Is that really necessary?"<p>

The man shrugs and says, "Orders."

Shaw says, "Sorry, that'll be because of me."

Letting it go, Castle says, "Sasha, this is very special agent Jordan Shaw, of the FBI."

Sasha offers a hand in greeting. Shaw doesn't hesitate to shake hands and says, "Thank you for meeting with me, Sasha."

Once they're seated, Shaw gets straight to business, asking, "What made you certain that this person would commit murder?"

With a nervous glance at Castle, she replies, "I've always been fascinated by other killers. I research them possibly even more than Rick does. After a while I could recognize them almost immediately. It's like…like they're panthers walking amongst the population." Nodding to Shaw, she says, "I bet you see them too." When Shaw nods, Sasha continues, "But it was years before I could recognize them as cubs, before they kill." With a shrug, she explains, "I can't really explain how I knew about this one. But I spent a lot of time in Brooklyn. With my looks I could blend in pretty well and I learned of the attacks. You know that the victims were mutilated?"

Shaw says, "Yes. That particular detail had not been reported to police. But I think we're caught up now."

"They think it's one of their own?" At Shaw's nod, Sasha says, "I think they're wrong."

Shaw's eyes widen in surprise and she leans forward to ask, "What makes you say that?"

With a smile, she begins, "Even insane people have rules. The only difference is that we're more strict about keeping them." To Castle, she says, "Like how I didn't kill Sir Beckett, even though she shot me, because it didn't fit the game." Surprised at being directly addressed, Castle only nods. Sasha returns her attention to Shaw and says, "Putting aside the fact that they've committed murder; a major violation of the Jewish faith, there are other inconsistencies in their...game. If they're really Jewish, the words should have been written in Hebrew." Sasha subconsciously makes a motion with her hands, as she says, "Though it would be difficult to carve." Castle feels a chill when he realizes that she's miming cutting flesh. Sasha continues, "Also, there's fairly strong prohibitions against writing the name of God…don't really understand why. And I think that the letters _YHVH_ are more likely, if the attacker is Jewish. Plus, some of the attacks were on the Sabbath, which wouldn't fit the rules either." When Shaw says nothing, Sasha says, "That's it. I haven't been able to follow them much, since I got here."

Shaw finishes taking some notes and says, "Castle thinks that the attacks have something to do with prohibitions against ancient mourning customs, such as shaving heads, cutting flesh and tattoos. Any thoughts on that?"

Sasha smiles at Castle and says, "Yes, I thought the same thing. The whole thing is a little confusing. But it seems to be something to do with the destruction of the second temple in Jerusalem. Apparently there was such a huge outpouring of grief, that the rules were put in place to get the population under control. Did you know they still don't have a temple? It's a big deal. Some of their rituals can't be commenced, or completed without it. It seemed to me that the attacker was…helping the victims grieve…um, taking the burden of breaking the rules. They might even think that they're doing a kindness for their victims. Anyway, I'd say that you're looking for someone who learned everything they know about the Jewish faith the same way I did; online." After considering for a second, Sasha adds, "They might be in mourning themselves."

When Sasha is silent, Shaw prompts, "Anything else?"

"No. I was busy with my own game. This was more of a hobby. Unless you've got the case file or a computer for me?"

"Sorry, Sasha. They won't go for that."

Sasha shrugs and says, "It was worth a try."

Standing up, Shaw offers her hand and says, "Well, thanks again, Sasha." When Sasha stands up the CO tenses, but remains in place. As the women shake hands, Shaw says, "If you think of anything else, just call the 12th precinct or let an officer know." Sasha only nods in reply.

Castle kisses Sasha's cheek and says, "I'll see you tonight?"

It's obvious Sasha wasn't expecting that and she smiles before saying, "See you tonight."

Castle and Shaw are almost to the door when Sasha says, "Rick!"

He turns to see that the CO already has Sasha by the arm, to lead her back to her cell, and Sasha says, "Would you tell Beckett that I'm ready to answer her questions?"

"Sure, Sasha. I can do that."

Once Castle and Shaw are outside, she asks, "Questions?"

"Beckett always thought that Sasha started killing before she met me, but not even Beckett could get any information about that time."

"She's trying to impress you."

"Beckett?"

Shaking her head, Shaw smiles and says, "Well, yes, her too. But I meant Sasha." After a pause, she says, "Are you planning to keep up these visits indefinitely?"

"I hadn't really thought that far ahead. I actually enjoy my time with her. So, unless it stops being helpful to her, I'll keep visiting."

"Good. Because part of the profile I did on her suggests that she has strong abandonment issues. I'd bet that her earlier victims are women with a resemblance to her mother. If you suddenly stop visiting her, it might be enough for you to become a target again."

"Oh, good. So, no pressure?"

"She's a killer, Castle. I think you forget that."

"Jordan, I've seen some of her victims, and I've looked down the barrel of the gun in her hand. I'm not going to forget. But she's also a person, and she's not been treated well. I just feel like…I dunno, like I want to make up for some of that."

Shaw shrugs and concedes, "Well, whatever you do is working. I've never seen such a turnaround in someone like her."

They walk in silence for a while, and then Castle asks, "You think Beckett tries to impress me?"

Shaw shakes her head and says, "Oh dear. If you use this against her, please leave me out of it."

"Just a little mild torture, I promise."

* * *

><p>Back at the precinct, Shaw lets Beckett know what she learned, before retiring to the room that is now the temporary headquarters of the FBI team. Castle then asks Beckett, "What's next?"<p>

"Next, I'm going home. It's Jess' funeral this afternoon."

"And you're going?"

"Yeah. I hadn't planned on it. I really liked Jess, but I barely knew her. But her Dad practically begged me and I couldn't refuse him."

"Begging is all it takes with you?"

Smiling despite herself, Beckett chastises him, "Castle."

"Sorry, couldn't resist." And then asks, "Want some backup? I'll need to change, but it'll only take a couple of minutes."

Too moved to smile, she's nevertheless grateful and says, "That'd be great. Thanks, Castle."

Once in the car, Castle remembers, "Oh, almost forgot. Sasha says that she'll answer your questions."

"About her earlier victims?"

Castle shrugs and says, "I guess so. She didn't say."

"Ok. Thanks."

Beckett is too quiet, so he asks, "You sure about this; the funeral?"

"Yeah. I'm just…I've not seen Matt since…"

"Since you kidnapped him and left him with his grieving parents?"

"Not helping, Castle."

"Well, obviously all is forgiven, or they wouldn't have invited you today. You're not stupid. You must know that if you hadn't stopped Matt, he might be in prison for life…or dead. His parents probably want this opportunity to show you how grateful they are."

He knows it's worked when the corners of her mouth lift slightly, and then she says, "Thanks."

"No problem. Stating the obvious is one of my specialties."

At Castle's suggestion, Beckett waits in her car outside his apartment. He's back in only a few minutes, suitably attired for a funeral in a dark charcoal suit. On the short drive to her place, Castle asks, "So, how am I supposed to behave around Matt? Should I just glare at him, maybe lunge a little and snarl, or leap over the grave and punch him on the nose?"

Fighting a smile, she says, "No grave, Castle. It's a crematorium."

"Well that kind of makes grand gestures difficult. Which leaves glaring or snarling?"

"How about you try something new and just be supportive?"

"Boring, but I can do that." Serious now, he says, "You've never asked me to do that before."

"I suppose not."

"You should do it more often." And then he grins and says, "Though I fail to see how punching Matt on the nose isn't being supportive."

End of Chapter Two


	3. Chapter 3

Original Character:

Matt Blood; ESU with NYPD, Beckett's ex. First appears as a hostage negotiator in "The Castle on the Hill"

Alexandra "Sasha" Beketov; aka The Chess Killer, prison inmate and Castle's friend. First appears as a serial killer in "In Defense of the Castle"

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Three: ha'armon-transliteration of the Hebrew word for Castle<span>

On arrival at her apartment, Beckett says, "I won't be long. Make yourself comfortable, but don't touch anything."

"It's going to be difficult to do both those things, but ok."

Castle's barely had time to start snooping before Beckett emerges from her bedroom, carrying cosmetics and says, "Were you serious about knowing how to conceal a bruise?"

"Absolutely. I got tired of answering questions, so now I cover them before I get in the makeup chair. It's not enough to fool the artist, of course. But it makes life easier."

"Then can you help me? It's faded a bit, but still attracts attention and I don't want to make things weird for Matt's parents today."

Taking the makeup from her he says, "Is this all you have?"

Slightly offended, she says, "_Yes_. I don't have your salary."

Gesturing to a dining chair, he says, "Well, I'm no miracle worker, but I'll do my best."

After tilting her chin, so her cheek is in better light, Castle starts gently applying the first layer of concealer with one fingertip. Halfway through the process Beckett relaxes and closes her eyes. It's such a sign of trust that the intimacy of the moment proves too much for Castle. And he cringes at the emotion in his voice when he says, "Just let that dry for a minute."

Beckett opens her eyes and he can see that she feels it too. But, almost immediately, her gaze in once again guarded and she says only, "Ok."

Castle flees to the kitchen and spends longer washing his hands than is necessary, before applying a second concealer. Prepared this time, he's able to remain detached and soon says, "Done. Just do whatever you usually do and try not to mess with it."

Beckett thanks him and retires to finish getting ready. Castle shakes his head and lets out a silent whistle at the close call, before resuming his snooping. Soon enough, Beckett emerges dressed entirely in black; mid-length dress, shoes and draped leather jacket. Castle's open-mouthed stare is even better than a mirror at letting Beckett know that she's ready and she says, "Let's go."

* * *

><p>The grounds of the crematorium are a pleasant setting, though the Romanesque façade is a little overdone for Castle's taste. There's a large crowd in attendance outside the building, filing inside at a respectful pace. Castle can see that Beckett is unusually nervous and offers the crook of his arm. She hesitates only a moment before accepting. Once inside, they haven't yet chosen a seat when Castle notices that a tall, dark-haired man walking towards them is heading for Beckett. His resemblance to Matt is close enough that Castle guesses it must be Matt's father. The man's voice is full of gratitude as he says, "Kate; you came. Thank you."<p>

Beckett releases Castle's arm to shake hands, saying, "Dan. This is Rick Castle. He assisted on the case."

Dan shakes Castle's hand, saying, "Of course. Matt's spoken of you. Thankyou, Rick." Dan then says to Beckett, "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Beckett nods and they move to a quiet corner. Castle stays put, but watches for any sign of distress from Beckett. After a few seconds Dan leaves her and she returns to Castle. He can see that she's troubled and she explains, "Matt wants a word before the service commences."

Remembering his vow to be supportive, Castle says, "Do you want to?"

Chewing her lip in distress, she says, "I don't know. What do you think?"

Surprised to be asked, he considers before saying, "He probably just wants a chance to apologize. And you're just going to torture yourself, if you don't give him that. So, I think you should. I can be with you, if you wish."

After a second, she says, "No. That's ok, thanks. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Castle watches until she goes through a side door and then leans against the wall to wait for her.

* * *

><p>Matt is sitting at a table, reading some notes when Beckett enters the room. At the sound of the door he almost leaps to his feet and then freezes on seeing her. The last time Beckett saw him he was drunk, unkempt and suffering from fatigue. This is the first time she's seen him in a suit and he looks so good that she almost flees the room, but marshals her courage and waits for him to speak. He attempts a smile and says, "You're thinking about kissing me, aren't you?" When Beckett looks shocked, not amused, he says, "Sorry; nervous humor."<p>

Already wishing she hadn't agreed to see him, Beckett says, "What do want, Matt?"

After a deep breath he says, "Thanks for seeing me. What I want is to say that I'm sorry. I know that I blew it. No matter what else was going on, I should never have hit you. I hope you believe me that, outside the ring, I've never done that before?" When she nods, he says, "And I want to thank you for…violating my rights." That's enough to almost make her smile, and he continues, "If you hadn't done that I'd probably be in Ad/Seg now, waiting for someone to try and kill me. Instead I got to hear my Dad apologize, for the first time in my life. I don't really remember much of that night. But he says that you explained everything, and chewed him out…is that true?"

Embarrassed, Beckett says, "Yeah. I was mad at him for refusing to speak with you. It put too much pressure on you."

Shaking his head, Matt says, "I wish I'd seen that. Anyway, it was enough for him to realize that he'd been blaming me for Jess' death…"

Beckett interrupts to say, "It wasn't your fault, Matt."

"Yeah, I know that. Dad knows that too. He was just…grieving, I guess. Thank you, Kate. Instead of letting me wreck my family, you've actually managed to improve my relationship with my father. I'll be grateful for that forever."

When he doesn't continue, Beckett says, "I'm glad. And you're welcome." When he still doesn't speak, she says, "Ok, well, I'll see you inside, Matt."

"Kate, are we going to be able to be friends? Or do I need to do something about…not being anywhere we might meet?"

Beckett gives it some thought and says, "It's too soon to tell about friends. But I think we're still colleagues who respect each other?"

Nodding, Matt smiles and says, "You got it, detective."

Finally glad that she took Castle's advice, Beckett doesn't hesitate when Matt offers to shake hands. She even gets brave enough to kiss his cheek and says, "Thanks, Matt."

"For what?"

"For today, and for everything up to that night."

"Oh, you're welcome. Hey, Dad wants you to sit with us. But I told him that it would be up to you."

"I'm here with Castle."

Matt says, "He's welcome too."

Beckett smiles and says, "He wants to punch you on the nose."

Matt smiles too, saying, "Well, that could prove interesting. I know he can take a punch. And there's something about him at times that makes me think he can dish it out too."

Beckett shrugs and says, "I don't know. But I doubt he'd back down."

Nodding to the notes on the table, she says, "Are they making you give the eulogy?"

Frowning, Matt says, "Yeah. Mom asked me and I couldn't say no."

After a pause, Beckett says, "I can stand with you, if you'd like?"

"That'd be great, thanks. I'm terrified."

"Even though part of your job is talking people out of life and death situations?"

Matt smiles and says, "Even so."

And then Beckett says, "Well, I'd better find a seat. I'll see you when you're done."

"Ok. Thanks again, Kate."

* * *

><p>Castle is waiting for Beckett outside the door and says, "I'm guessing from the amount of time you were gone that it went well?"<p>

"It did. Thanks for suggesting it. Today is a much better memory of him than the one I've been replaying in my head."

"Well, like you said, he's a decent guy. I'm glad he also does a decent apology."

"He's giving the eulogy, and I've offered to stand by him."

"Ok. What do you want me to do?"

"What you're doing is just fine, thanks." And then she says, "Come on. Dan is saving some seats for us."

Castle and Beckett meet the rest of the family and sit down. They've not been there long when Matt joins them, sitting next to Castle who leans over and whispers, "Your Mom's hot."

Matt smiles and says, "Hey, Rick." And then murmurs, "I hear you want to punch me?"

Speaking softly, Castle says, "Beckett wouldn't let me."

"I'm surprised that would stop you."

Castle grins and says, "Today I'm trying something new. Apparently it's called being _supportive_."

Matt smiles again and says, "Well, thanks for coming."

When Matt offers his hand, Castle doesn't hesitate to accept it, and then says, "Here, swap seats."

Surprised, Matt says, "You sure?"

Castle whispers, "Yeah, I can't hit on your Mom from here."

Beckett hasn't heard any of the exchange, so she's surprised when Matt sits next to her and murmurs, "This ok?"

Also speaking softly, she says, "Sure. Castle gone off the idea of punching you?"

"Apparently his plan for revenge is to seduce my mother."

"That does sound more his style."

The minister enters the room then and the chatter dies down. Matt doesn't hear any of what the man says, because he's going over his notes yet again. It's only a short speech, but he doesn't want to let Jess down. So he's more nervous than before any negotiation. Suddenly Beckett snatches the notes out of his hand and whispers, "You'll do fine."

Beckett returns the notes when it's Matt's turn to speak, and walks with him to the podium. Matt falters initially, as he thanks everyone for showing up to pay their respects. But then he remembers who he's talking about and says, "When I was trying to think what to say about Jess, I couldn't help wondering what she might say about me." After a deep breath, Matt says, "I'm a liar, a killer, an egotist and a fool. But none of that mattered to Jess. If you'd asked her who I am, she'd say, _He's my brother_. For her that was enough, but it's not enough for me. So I have to mention her compassion, even for those who don't deserve it, her generosity, even to those who don't really need it and her love, even for those who don't return it. If I make it to old age, I'll never live up to the example she's set. But I'm going to try, because she's my sister."

Castle gives up his seat again, so Matt can sit next to his mother, who is now quietly weeping. When Beckett sits down, Castle asks, "You ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for today."

"Any time."

* * *

><p>Once the service is over, Beckett says goodbye to Matt's family. Castle wonders if he should rescue her, when she almost disappears in Dan's embrace. But she emerges unscathed. The rest of the family settles for a handshake, or a kiss on the cheek. Castle can see that Matt has some parting words for Beckett and wishes he could hear.<p>

Castle knows time is playing tricks on him, but it seems like the farewells take longer than the service. Finally they're in the car. He knows that Beckett is ok, when she refuses to let him drive. She's quiet for such a long time that he says, "You thinking about giving him a second chance?"

"No, Castle. Just thinking."

Unable to stop himself, he asks, "What did he say to you?"

Beckett just smiles and says nothing. Castle silently curses himself for asking and says, "When does this being supportive thing end?"

Still smiling, she says, "If you're asking, then it's probably over. But thanks for staying out of character so long."

"No problem. Where are we heading?"

"Back to the precinct. I told Shaw I'd check in after the funeral. What about you? You seeing Sasha, as usual?"

"Yes, but later. If we're going to the precinct you'll have to feed me first, or I'll pass out."

"I guess that's fair enough."

Despite Castle's protests, Beckett settles for Drive-thru. They quickly dispose of the meal in the car park. Between mouthfuls, Castle says, "You're not even going to make it to my age, if you keep eating like this."

Wearily, she says, "You don't have to be here, Castle."

It's only then that he realizes how well she's been concealing the toll this day has taken on her. Knowing the odds are against him, he says, "How about you take a break…at least change your clothes, before getting back to work? Jordan will understand, and she does have the FBI to help her out."

"Yeah, you're probably right. Ok, Castle." She smiles and says, "I thought you were done being supportive?"

He shrugs and says, "I can give you another hour. But then all bets are off."

* * *

><p>Inside Beckett's apartment, she says, "I won't be long."<p>

She emerges in record time, dressed for work, prompting Castle to say, "You're Supergirl, aren't you?"

Beckett smiles and says, "Making you Dick Malverne? She never had a sidekick."

"Well, I'd rather be Superman. But I've no desire to be your cousin."

Just then her phone rings. After looking at the number, she says, "Beckett." After a second Castle hears, "Yeah, I remember."

Something in her tone alerts Castle that it's a personal call, so he moves closer to eavesdrop. Beckett gently, but adamantly pushes his face away with one palm and retreats to continue the call in relative privacy.

Castle can still hear her side of the conversation, "Can I get a raincheck? I'm actually working this evening." And then concludes, "Ok, thanks. I'll talk to you soon." At the look on Castle's face, she says, "None of your business, that's who."

He's known her long enough to recognize when there's no point trying, so he says, "Then let's go."

* * *

><p>At the precinct, Shaw has news, "We'll have to wait for DNA sequencing, but we've already got a lot from the hair sample left at the scene. We're looking for a male Caucasoid, with long, brown hair that's washed regularly but not combed. They use a natural, plant-based shampoo. This person is a vegetarian, maybe a vegan. They're a teetotaler. They've been in New York City for several years, possibly born here."<p>

Beckett says, "We're looking for a Rastafarian?"

Shaw answers, "No, there was no trace of Cannabinoids, or even nicotine."

Castle says, "But not all Rastafarians smoke, right?"

Shaw explains, "No. But these tests are pretty sensitive. Even if the person had spent time around smokers, there would have been traces in the sample. But there's nothing. If they are Rastafari , they don't socialize with other followers, which would be very unusual."

Castle recognizes the look on Shaw's face and says, "You have a theory."

Shaw smiles and says, "Yes. After talking to scholars, we think the man might be a Nazirite. It's an ancient form of worship that has very strict rules: no grapes or anything made from them, none of the animals considered unclean by the Jewish definition, no contact with a corpse, and followers must not cut or comb their hair. Mostly the vow lasts for 30 days, but there's no real limit. If this person is a Nazirite, they've maintained the conditions of the vow for several years. We're currently running one more test on the hair; _grape lipid transfer protein. _It's an allergen present only in grapes, so there's a test to identify it. We'll know in a few hours."

Frowning, Castle asks, "What does any of this have to do with ancient Jewish mourning rituals?"

Shaw says, "That, I don't know. It could be a separate issue that has nevertheless fuelled the attacks. We're still working on the profile."

Beckett says, "Wouldn't committing murder mean they've come in contact with a corpse?"

"Yes. The scholars agree with Sasha Beketov, that we're dealing with someone outside the Jewish faith. Unfortunately, that's bad news for us, because they're probably following their own version of the Nazirite vow. Still, we're gathering every scrap of information we can. If we can work out what rules they're playing by, we'll be closer to catching them."

Beckett says, "What can I do?"

"Go through everything we've got so far from all the attacks and see if there're any patterns that might help us."

Castle says, "Yeah, that doesn't sound like fun. If you ladies will excuse me, I've got a date with a serial killer." He's turning to walk out when he says to Beckett, "Oh, I presume you'll talk to Sasha another time."

Beckett nods and says, "Another time. Thanks again for today."

"No problem. But your time is up. I'll see you tomorrow."

When he's gone, Jordan asks, "Your time is up?"

Embarrassed, Beckett says, "He came with me to the funeral and vowed to be supportive for the duration."

"And?"

Beckett shrugs and says, "And he was."

Studying Beckett for a second, Shaw says, "Would you like to hear my profile of Castle?"

Beckett laughs and says, "I doubt it. Let's get to work."

* * *

><p>Sasha is, as always, grateful for the care package Castle brings her and then says, "You've changed clothes."<p>

"Yes; for a funeral." And then says, "Oh, Beckett's kind of busy with this current case. But she will accept your invitation when she's free."

They sit down to start setting up the chess pieces and Sasha says, "Are you allowed to discuss the case with me?"

Castle considers the issue, shrugs and says, "I didn't actually ask, and no one forbade it. How about you ask questions, and I'll decide if I'm comfortable answering?"

"Ok. Did they confirm that the killer is not Jewish?"

"Pretty much. They think he's a Nazirite. Know anything about that?"

"No. But I can find...ask around."

Castle has spent long enough with detectives to not let that slide, and says, "You were going to say _find out_, weren't you?" When Sasha doesn't reply, he ponders aloud, "You wouldn't avoid saying that, if you were talking about the library." Castle realizes that Sasha must somehow have access to the internet. He actually breaks out in a sweat at the thought of how she might react to his next words, but says, "You can't be online Sasha. I have to tell them."

Sasha's jaw clenches in anger, and then she says, "There's no point. They won't find anything. But they'll punish me anyway, and the only thing they can take away from me is you."

Shaw's words of caution are echoing in his head, but he says, "I have to tell them. I can wait until after the game, if you wish."

"Why don't you lie to me?"

Surprised at the change of subject, Castle says, "I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it. Why?"

"I don't lie to you either."

Smiling, he says, "You don't say enough for it to become an issue."

"I won't do it again. If you don't tell them, I won't do it again."

"Sasha, this isn't something you can negotiate." After a second, he says, "You're upset. I'd better go."

Castle starts packing the chess pieces away. Sasha's hand clamps down on his wrist, and her voice is filled with danger when she quietly says, "Don't call out."

At first, Castle reflexively tries to pull out of her grasp, even though there's no point. He knows that a CO is just outside the door. He also knows that Sasha could kill him before they unlock the door. Castle can feel sweat trickling down his spine, but forces himself to relax and says, "I won't. But let go of my arm." After a moment's hesitation, she does just that, and Castle says, "Don't ever do that again, Sasha, or we're done."

The threat is gone from her voice when she says, "Ok, Rick."

"Talk to me, Sasha. What's the big deal? Crenshaw is a decent guy. He'll have to punish you, but I'm sure he'll be fair about it."

"I should be at Bedford."

"Yes. They've bent the rules a little for us, at least until your trial." Suddenly he realizes why she's upset enough to literally strong-arm him and says, "I'm sorry, Sasha. I'm stupid. Just ask me."

Her internal struggle is visible on her face, and it's almost painful to watch, but she eventually says, "Would you visit me, when I'm transferred?"

Trying not to smile, Castle says, "Of course. It's not on the moon, Sasha. It probably won't be every week, but I'll still visit."

She finally relaxes and says, "Thanks, Rick."

"You're welcome. Hey, I've thought of a compromise. Would you like to hear my brilliant plan?"

She smiles and says, "Yes, I would."

"I won't tell them about you breaking the rules, if you tell your shrink every detail of this conversation and give up…is it a cellphone you're using?"

"Yes, it's a cellphone. Ok, Rick."

"When's your next appointment?"

"Tuesday. But I can call her anytime."

"And you'll do that tonight?"

"Yes."

"Good. Let her know she can call later. Now, can we please play chess?"

* * *

><p>When Castle returns home, Martha is on the sofa, reading a magazine and sipping a cocktail. After greeting her with a kiss on the cheek, he says, "What brings you here on a Sunday? Shouldn't you be still recovering from Saturday?"<p>

"Very funny, Richard." Nodding towards the stairs she says, "More teen dramas with the young lovers, but Alexis is fine now. She just needed to talk, and you were busy."

"Well, thanks for stepping in. But please don't ever use _lovers_ and _Alexis_ in the same sentence again."

Martha smiles and says, "There's not much point hiding from it."

Pouring himself a drink, Castle says, "I know. But I'm easing into it, to lessen the shock."

On seeing the size of the drink he pours, Martha says, "Rough day?"

Sitting next to her, Castle says, "Rough chess game. I had to do something Sasha didn't like."

Suddenly afraid, Martha says, "But you're ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. She's learning the art of conversation. I don't know the details of her childhood, other than it was horrific. But sometimes talking with her is like dealing with a toddler."

"A toddler who could snap you like a twig. Please be careful, Richard."

"I am. I defied her and she didn't knock me down. I'd call that progress. She should be on the phone with her shrink as we speak." Having downed the whiskey in record time, he says, "In the meantime, I need another shower. Are you staying?"

"Yes, just in case there're any more emergencies."

"Ok. Then I'll say goodnight now. I've got some work to do, before I collapse. Thanks again, Mother."

Martha kisses his cheek, and says, "Goodnight, sweetheart."

After a quick shower, Castle sits down at his desk and enters "Nazirite" into the search engine. He's lost in the intricacies of the subject, when his phone rings. Having forgotten all about Sasha, he answers, "Castle."

"Rick, it's Gemma. I know it's late, but Sasha insisted that I call you. Do you have time to discuss today?"

"Of course. So you spoke with her? Was that the right thing for me to do? She was pretty upset, and I didn't want to make it worse."

"Considering she didn't resort to violence, and is accepting her punishment well, I'd say you did exactly the right thing. But I feel obligated to caution you yet again about insisting that she be unrestrained during your visits."

"You're been helping her for a while now, Gemma. Do you honestly think that being handcuffed could stop her from hurting me, if that was her intention?"

"No, I suppose not. Anyway, it's currently a moot point. She won't be permitted visitors, other than myself for three weeks."

"What about phone calls?"

"No."

"And you say she took that well?"

"So far. I know that I fought you initially about these visits. But I'm glad you won. She really is making progress." And then says, "Well, that's it. Thanks, Rick."

"No problem. Hey, would you give her a message from me?"

"Of course."

"Tell Sasha that I'll miss her and that she should be prepared for defeat next time we play."

End of Chapter Three


	4. Chapter 4

Original Character:

Clair Winter (nee Willingham); Castle's ex. First appears in "Castles in the air"

Luther; Clair's dog. First appears in "The Haunted Castle"

Abril Rivera; process server, Clair's business partner, Castle's casual romantic interest. First appears in "In Defense of the Castle"

* * *

><p>Author's note: I've tried something new; there's at least one clue in the details Agent Shaw gives to Castle. For those who don't want to play, skip to the title. For those who do, other clues exist in the previous chapters, and the details are as follows:<p>

Matthew 5:4 "Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted."

Psalm 147: 3 "He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds."

Isaiah 57:2 "Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest as they lie in death."

Psalm 119:136 "Tears stream down from my eyes, because they do not keep Your law."

Luke 6:25 "Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep."

Isaiah 61:1 "He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to comfort all who mourn."

John 6:38 "I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me."

Romans 14:11 "As I live, every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall give praise to God."

Isaiah 25: 8 "The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces; the reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken."

2 Corinthians 5:1 "For we know that if our earthly dwelling, a tent, should be destroyed, we have a building from God, a dwelling not made with hands, eternal in heaven."

Revelation 14:13 "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Let them find rest from their labors, for their works accompany them."

Revelation 22:13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water. The victor will inherit these gifts, and I shall be his God, and he will be my son."

Matthew 24:43 "Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

John 11:25 "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die."

Isaiah 35:10 "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

Isaiah 41:10 "Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness."

Revelation 21:4 "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

2 Timothy 2:12 "If you have died with me you shall also live with me; if you persevere you shall also reign with me. If you deny me I will deny you. But, if you are unfaithful, I remain faithful, for I cannot deny myself."

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Four: ha'armon-transliteration of the Hebrew word for Castle<span>

Beckett is woken by the ring of her cellphone. The blue-white light is all that illuminates her room. She looks at the ID and answers it, saying, "You'd better be bleeding."

Castle says, "Why would I be bleeding? No, I've been researching Nazirites…did you know they're also called Nazirs, or sometimes Nazarenes? Anyway, I think that…"

"Castle, it's 3am!"

"No, it's only…oh, sorry. I'll see you in the morning, or rather later this morning."

"It's ok. I'm awake now. What is it you think that?"

"I think that we could be looking for a bald guy."

"Castle, the vic grabbed hairs. Unless the guy was naked and had freakishly long pubic hairs, they can only have come from his head."

"Yes, but listen to this, _And if any man die very suddenly beside him, and he defile his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it._" When he finishes reading he says, "I think you'll agree that stabbed three times is dying very suddenly. There's also something about burning the hair and sacrificing birds. But the main point is that, if this guy is a Nazarite, he might be bald in seven days. It's like…a reboot of the vow. They have to start all over again."

"And this couldn't have waited until you got to the precinct?"

"Sorry, I honestly didn't know it was so late…or early. Go back to sleep. I'll see you soon."

"Ok, Castle. But, if I dream of bald guys, you're in big trouble."

He laughs and says, "Fair enough." Before she hangs up he quickly says, "Howie Mandel, Telly Savalas, Yul Brynner, Bruce Willis." Beckett is long gone and he heads for bed, muttering, "Stanley Tucci, Samuel L. Jackson, Jason Alexander…oh, Vin Diesel…"

* * *

><p>Beckett is already at her desk when Castle arrives at the precinct on Monday morning. He's only carrying one coffee, and hands it to her. She thanks him and says, "Where's yours?"<p>

"I've already had two."

Beckett smiles and says, "That's what you get for staying up until 3am."

"Yeah, and when I did sleep I had the most disturbing dream about Howie Mandel and Vin Diesel. But, was I right about the bald?"

He can see the confirmation on her face even before she says, "Yes, Shaw's team have concluded the same thing. Their test of the hair confirmed that the perp doesn't consume grapes in any form. So we're looking for a Nazirite _or_ a Rastafarian hermit with a grape allergy."

Castle smiles and says, "Nice one. " And then says, "There are different versions of the vow."

Beckett nods and says, "You really did spend some time online last night, didn't you? I don't suppose you discovered a way to find out what version of the vow our guy is following?"

Referring to his notebook, he says, "If he's a Samson Nazirite, then he won't need to shave his head after coming in contact with a corpse. I doubt he's a lifelong Nazirite, because he would have most likely trimmed his hair by now. He could have taken the vow, intending it to be temporary and then realized he couldn't complete it…I'm sorry, I have so much information in my head I can't recall where it's come from. But there's something to do with the second temple of Jerusalem…"

Shaw is approaching and interrupts, "It came from Sasha. That was only yesterday."

"Well, yesterday was a long day. My point is that there is no official way to end the Nazirite vow, without a Temple. But I think it's more important to work out which Nazirite he's emulating."

Beckett says, "Why would he be emulating anyone?"

"It just makes sense. They've chosen to live their life according to rules set down in the Old Testament. Now, that alone isn't crazy. Apparently Jewish and Christian people alike still choose to take the vow for a short time. But we know our guy is nuts. So I think he'd have a crazy reason for taking the vow…like he's imagining he's Samson or Samuel, maybe John the Baptist…though I suppose a diet of locust and honey would be difficult in New York." To Shaw, he says, "What have you got on him?"

"We think he's an orphan whose parents died before or while he was an adolescent. Something prevented him from grieving properly. He suffers from schizoaffective disorder, with symptoms first appearing around or just after his parents' death. He has periodic delusions, convinced that he is someone else or is being commanded by an external force, or both. The hallucinations of someone suffering this illness are powerful enough to involve all five senses, making him very dangerous. He's currently mid to late twenties, and is mostly a loner. In between episodes he can experience long periods of lucidity. But, unless he gets treatment, these sane periods will always be temporary. He either sleeps almost all the time or not at all, and has difficulties with executive function, making it unlikely that he's had a steady job for a while." When Castle looks confused, she extrapolates, "Executive function helps us override our baser instincts. This guy, if offered something desirable that conflicted with an internal plan, would still be unable to resist following his instincts."

Castle grins and says, "Finally, something I can relate to." And then asks, "How can you know all this?"

Shaw explains, "In every attack he spoke to the victims, before subduing them. We've pieced together the symptoms from his dialogue, and the behavior that you're already familiar with." She considers for a while before saying, "You could be right about him emulating a known Nazirite. Any guesses?"

Castle smiles and says, "Not yet. But, if you give me all the details, I'll race you."

Recognizing his descent into frivolity, Shaw addresses Beckett to say, "How did you go with the family and friends?"

Beckett shakes her head and says, "Nothing so far. None of them look good for the murder. When the guys get here, we'll look into family and friends of the assault victims. It's going to take a while."

Shaw says, "Well, give me part of the list and we'll get started."

After a second spent looking through a folder, Beckett hands over a piece of paper and says, "Thanks."

Shaw is turning to get back to work when Castle says, "What do I get?" At Shaw's confusion, he says, "If I work out who he's copying first, what do I get?"

"Satisfaction that you've helped catch a killer?"

"I already have enough of that. I want…" He looks at Beckett and says, "…your profile of Beckett."

Beckett protests, "The FBI wouldn't have a profile on me."

Castle smiles and says to Shaw, "But Jordan does, don't you?" He sees the truth on her face and says, "You profile everyone you meet."

Shaw says, "I'm not playing, Castle."

She's turning to leave once again, but halts at Castle's words, "Monolo Blahniks; this season's." She hasn't even looked back, but he's encouraged and continues, "I've seen the shoes you wear, even when you're on-duty. You have excellent taste. But I'm betting a working Mom doesn't own a pair of the latest Monolo Blahniks. If you win, I'll buy you any pair from the latest collection."

Shaw turns and, with a nervous glance at Beckett, shakes his hand and says, "Deal. I'll get you the details."

When Shaw is gone, Beckett says, "I like shoes."

Castle grins and says, "Yes, but you wouldn't be willing to pay my price."

Uncomfortable with his flirtatious tone, Beckett says, "Probably not."

With a quiet smile he asks, "_Probably_ not?"

Cursing herself for revealing too much, she refuses to look at him as she says, "_Definitely_ not."

Castle lets her get away with it, but can't quite lose the smile, even after Shaw returns with the clues he'll need to win the bet. Castle immediately reads the information, then spends some time searching on his phone, checking his notebook and scribbling notes on the pages. Amused at his enthusiasm, Beckett is glad that he's distracted enough that she can get some work done.

Ryan and Esposito eventually file in for the start of their shift, and get to work. Castle barely looks up from his study, to acknowledge his friends. Esposito says to Beckett, "What's up with Castle?"

"He's racing the FBI team to identify what type of Nazirite we're looking for."

Ryan says, "Then it must be your turn to make the coffees?"

Beckett smiles and says, "I guess I can do that. But don't get used to it." After delivering coffees to the guys, Beckett has to nudge Castle to get his attention enough to hand him the cup, and says, "Time for a break, Castle."

He looks up and takes the coffee, saying, "Thanks. No, I think I'm on to something."

Beckett shrugs and leaves him to it, getting back to her own work. Only seconds later, Castle suddenly exclaims, "Yes!" Grabbing up all the notes, he rushes to share his discovery with Shaw and almost collides with her as she's coming out of the FBI's room. After apologizing, he notices that she's also carrying several pieces of paper and says, "Ladies first."

Shaw smiles and says, "He thinks he's Jesus."

Castle also smiles and shows her the notation he's made on one page, "_Jesus Christ."_ And then says, "A statement, not a complaint."

Shaw says, "So, who won?"

Castle shrugs and says, "Neither of us, I guess." He notices the look of disappointment on her face and suggests, "Both of us?"

Shaw brightens and says, "Done. I'll type it up for you."

When Castle returns to the detectives, Beckett says, "You wanna catch us up?"

He shows her the sheet of paper containing the quotes and says, "Some people think that Jesus was a Nazirite. Just as many people disagree. But we're dealing with a crazy person, so I figured anything is possible." Gesturing to the paper, he says, "They're direct quotes from scripture, except for the last one. In that one he's changed all the pronouns to make it seem like _he_ is saying the words, rather than Paul quoting Christ. Also, Jordan said he's an orphan. One of the ancient signs of mourning was to tattoo, or carve the name of a deceased loved one into your flesh. Our guy has carved the name of God into the chest of every victim."

Beckett says, "That's pretty clever, Castle. And you beat Shaw?"

"Not actually. She met me at the door. We're saying that we both won." At Beckett's frown, he grins and says, "You worried what she has to say about you, or just green with envy about the shoes?"

Beckett lies, "Neither."

Esposito says, "And now you wanna catch _us_ up?"

Still grinning, Castle says, "The terms of the bet. I'll buy Jordan some incredibly expensive shoes and she's currently typing up her profile of Beckett."

Ryan and Esposito both react with widened eyes, and wisely get back to work without commenting. Unconcerned, Castle sits down to finish his coffee.

With the detectives checking backgrounds and alibis, Castle is soon bored and goes to see Shaw. She knows why he's there and nods to a large manila envelope on a desk, and says, "It's sealed, just in case you want to do the right thing and simply shred it."

He grins and says, "Now why would I want to do that?"

With a quiet smile, she says, "I know you like to play dumb, but there's not much point with me."

Castle shrugs and says, "I'm just messing with her. I know most of what you've written anyway."

"Including the fact that Beckett is an intensely private person?"

"Just pay up, Jordan. Or does the FBI not honor their deals?"

"I don't speak for the FBI, but it's yours if you want it." She shows him a picture on her phone and says, "And these are the ones I want."

Momentarily lost in appreciation of her choice, he says, "Oh, nice. Wow, did you just pick the most expensive pair?"

Shaw smiles and says, "Just pay up, Castle."

He smiles and says, "That's fair." He picks up the envelope and says, "Thanks for this. I'll put a rush on the shoes for you."

Castle returns to Beckett and sits down, dropping the envelope on the desk, and says, "The shoes she's chosen retail for two grand!"

Beckett says, "But you won't have to pay that much."

Castle grins and says, "No. Retailers offer me stuff all the time. I know at least three stores that will be happy to help me out, in return for an endorsement." He gets his phone out and says, "If you'll excuse me, I've some calls to make." He walks away to arrange delivery of the shoes. Looking back, he's rewarded by Beckett's furtive glance toward the envelope. So he's smiling as he takes care of his end of the bet.

* * *

><p>Castle knows it time to really focus on the release of Heat Rises, when the best he can do is cost price on the shoes. But he cheers up when he remembers how uncomfortable Beckett must be, while that envelope sits on her desk. He's walking back when his phone rings. Hoping that it's a better offer on the shoes, he answers, "Castle."<p>

Clair's voice says, "Hey, Rick." When he doesn't answer, she says, "Rick? Are you there?"

He's stopped mid-stride, and says, "Yeah, I'm here. How is it that your voice can literally have power over my heart? I think if you asked it to stop, it would."

"Then let's not risk it. Are you well? You sound well."

He smiles and says, "Not even a bruise since you last saw me." He can hear the desperation in his own voice when he asks, "And you're ok?"

"I'm fine. You got my letter?"

"Yes, thank you. How's our embryo?"

Clair laughs and says, "Appropriately unobtrusive. I've already found an Ob/Gyn. She's started me on supplements, otherwise everything is ok. How's the team?"

"Oh, they're fine. We've got an interesting case. But they're doing boring police work, so I'm entertaining myself with a little light Beckett torture."

"You're hopeless."

He grins and says, "So I've been told. Did you find a place?"

"Not yet. I'm looking at a few today."

"Did you have to go so far away?"

"I'm sure you've checked it out. You can charter a plane and be here in less than seven hours."

"But not yet?"

"No. Luther needs more time."

Castle plays along, saying, "Yeah, it's always hardest on the pets." And then says, "Uh, is it ok if I share our news with a few close friends? So far only my mother and Beckett know."

"Of course. I trust you."

"Thanks, Clair." Saying her name feels strange, and he wonders how long it's been since he last used it. They're both silent for a while, just comfortable knowing the other is there. And then Castle says, "You know, I could write in Port Angeles." He hears her gasp of surprise and continues, "I'm guessing they don't have many murders. I might even be able to stay out of trouble."

In a hollow voice, nevertheless devoid of bitterness, Clair says, "And Kate would live with us?"

It's an all-too-familiar point of contention and Castle says, "I'm not with Beckett. You _know_ that."

"The fact that you've never acted on the innuendo doesn't mean you're not a couple, Rick. And that issue aside, there's still your addiction to danger, and your obsession with murder." She sighs and says, "Please, Rick, I didn't call for a blow-by-blow of our last row. I just wanted to hear your voice."

"I'm sorry. You're right. I just…wish you weren't seven hours away."

"Yeah, me too. But, if I were any closer, you might persuade me to drive back."

"You're suggesting that it's worth a try?"

"Well, your voice has power too. But I figured a continent between us should be enough."

He grins and says, "Wanna bet?"

Clair laughs and says, "No." They're again quiet for a few seconds, and then she says, "Oh, I'm glad you insisted on giving me money. The price of a new identity has gone up a _lot_ since I last bought one. I still have quite a bit left. But it's not going to last nearly as long as I'd hoped."

"No problem. Just send me the details and I'll set up a periodic transfer, though I'm sure you won't let me give you nearly enough."

"I'll let you give me exactly enough."

"So, what's your new name?"

"Clair Hampton."

"Hampton? For the beach house?"

"Yes."

He smiles and says, "You _are_ trying to stop my heart, aren't you?" He's reminded of something and says, "That first night at the Hamptons, I showed you to your room and you were going to say something, but changed your mind. Do you remember what it was?"

"I was going to say that, if you had any romantic inclinations towards me, there was no point. But you seemed so disinterested, that I didn't mention it."

"Oh, I was interested, but you were injured and traumatized. I was being a gentleman."

"Yes, I realize that now." And then she says, "Funny how things turn out, isn't it?"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't have predicted anything that's happened since we met…other than you fainting, of course."

"Oh, God. I'd forgotten about that. I was so embarrassed."

Castle smiles and says, "I thought it was cute."

Clair says, "I'd better go, before you manage to make me blush. You can use this number, unless I tell you otherwise. I'll get some paperwork to you…oh, so how's Abril?"

"You set me up with a vegetarian."

Clair laughs and says, "True. But she was very keen to know you better. So, you didn't go out?"

"Actually, we don't really go out, which solves the food issue. I'm more of her booty call."

"Well, that doesn't sound too terrible."

He grins and says, "It'll do until someone else falls into my arms."

He knows that he's succeeded in making her blush, when she hangs up without another word.

After making sure Clair's new number is saved on his phone, Castle walks back to the detectives. Beckett says, "Did you ring every shoe store in New York?"

"No. Clair called."

Concerned, Beckett asks, "Everything ok?"

Castle smiles and says, "Everything is just fine." Nodding towards the guys, he says, "Can you spare them for a few minutes?"

"Sure. They've been on the phone since they got here. You're telling them?"

"Yeah, and the captain and Lanie. That'll do. Then I'll head home. I have boring work of my own I should be doing. Unless something develops in the case, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok, Castle. See you tomorrow." He grabs his jacket and walks towards Ryan and Esposito. Beckett calls him back and gestures to the envelope, saying, "You forgot something."

"No. I got that for you." With a wide grin, he says, "Making you think that I was going to read it; _that_ was for me."

End of Chapter Four


	5. Chapter 5

Original Character:

Clair Hampton (formerly Clair Winter); Castle's ex. First appears in "Castles in the air"

Alexandra "Sasha" Beketov; aka The Chess Killer, prison inmate and Castle's friend. First appears as a serial killer in "In Defense of the Castle"

Matt Blood; ESU with NYPD, Beckett's ex. First appears in "The Castle on the Hill"

Cookie; homeless man, Castle's friend. First appears in "Castling into it"

* * *

><p><span>Chapter Five: ha'armon-transliteration of the Hebrew word for Castle.<span>

Castle shares the news of Clair's pregnancy with the detectives, Lanie and the captain before leaving the precinct, and with Alexis later that day. It's a tough call who squeals louder; Lanie or Alexis. For the next two days, he helps the team with another case and checks that Sasha is behaving herself. By Wednesday evening they've solved that case and Castle is in the process of buying The Old Haunt. But they're no closer to finding their Nazirite. So, Thursday night, Castle is once again burning the midnight oil, sitting at his laptop, trying to work out where a modern-day Nazirite might hide out from police in Manhattan. The relevant tabs are still open on his computer. He stares at all the information, until his eyes actually hurt, to no avail. He finally gives up and goes to bed. He falls into an exhausted sleep and his dreams are haunted by images from the Old Testament.

When he arrives at the precinct early Friday morning, Beckett gratefully accepts a coffee and says, "Did you sleep at all, Castle?"

"Not really. I was researching. We've only got until tomorrow morning to find a guy hairy enough to stand out. After that he'll just be another bald, white man in New York."

"Well, we don't have much information for the APB. But the Shomrim are also patrolling, in force. So we might get lucky." Nodding to a package on her desk, she says, "In the meantime, you've got mail."

Suddenly energized, he says, "Oh, that'll be Jordan's shoes."

Soon after he's gone to honor his part of the bet, Beckett gets a phone call. She catches up with Castle just as Shaw is gushing over the shoes and says, "We've got a lead: synagogue at 313 East Broadway."

Dropping the shoebox on a desk, Jordan says, "We'll meet you there."

Once in the car with Castle, Beckett says, "You've come across _mikvah_ in your research?"

"Yes, um, purificatory waters? It's an ancient form of cleansing…not just the body, but the soul, right?"

"Exactly. This morning someone tried to force their way into the synagogue, before they'd opened the doors, insisting that he needed to undergo purification. The Shomrim have put out their own APB on our suspect. When he matched the description of our elusive Nazirite, Rabbi Singer called police. By the time they got there, he was gone. But the Rabbi got a good look at him."

"But he hasn't yet shaved his head as part of the purification ritual?"

"Apparently not."

"Then any description he gives us won't be much use after tonight."

"Possibly not. But it's the biggest break we've had since we started, so I'll take it."

* * *

><p>Shaw and her team arrive within seconds of Beckett and Castle. There's not much to see at the scene. But the FBI crime scene investigators get to work on the front door and surrounding area, whilst Rabbi Singer sits down with a sketch artist. With uniformed officers already combing nearby streets for the suspect, there's not much for Beckett to do. Castle notices that she's getting twitchy and says to Jordan, "He'll still have to bathe, won't he? I mean, it won't seem like a choice to him, right?"<p>

Jordan nods, saying, "That's right. If bathing is part of the identity he's taken, then he will feel compelled to complete it. He must currently be in a lucid phase, because otherwise he wouldn't need a real mikvah. If he were delusional, he could bathe in duck down and it would suffice."

Castle says to Beckett, "Come on; the river's only minutes from here. If he can't get to a real mikvah, the river will do. Maybe we'll get lucky."

Beckett looks at Shaw for clarification. At her nod, she follows Castle east. After a while Castle can see that just putting one foot in front of the other is removing her stress. And it's confirmed when she says, "You don't really expect to see him at the river, do you?"

"I'd be very surprised. If he's lucid, he'll be in hiding. I just figured you could do with a walk."

"Thanks, Castle. I appreciate Shaw's help, and I know she has access to more resources than I do. But it's difficult…and I'm explaining something you obviously already understand."

He grins and says, "Yes, I'm well acquainted with your control issues."

Beckett purses her lips and says, "That wasn't exactly what I was going to say. But close enough. Speaking of which, if we do find him bathing in the river, stick behind me, ok? We don't know how he'll react, but we do know he's very dangerous."

Castle nods and says, "Don't get between you and the crazy, knife-wielding naked guy; got it."

They don't find their suspect. But they return to the synagogue to hear good news. Shaw says, "The door was covered in prints, so not much use. But Rabbi Singer remembered the man putting his hand on the window and peering inside."

Beckett exclaims, "You got his prints!"

Castle has spotted the FBI team getting vests out of their car and says, "More than that; they've got his name and address."

Shaw is beaming now, and says, "Milton Evans. He lives less than a block from here; one of the apartments in the East River Housing Corporation. We're just waiting for ESU." Remembering what happened last time Castle was forced to stay behind, Shaw asks Beckett, "One or two?"

"Two. He'll stick with me."

Jordan says, "Then you'd better get ready."

As they don vests, Beckett can see that something is bothering Castle, and asks, "What's wrong? I thought you wanted to be in on the action?"

"It's not that, and thanks for not hesitating. It's just...Milton Evans? That's a terrible name for our guy."

Beckett smiles and says, "I suppose it doesn't really scream knife-wielding maniac, does it?"

"Not at all; more like cardigan-wearing old man in rocking chair. Sometimes real life is such a disappointment."

Beckett points out, "Well, you can always choose a suitably spine-chilling name when you write about this."

"True." Castle sees the ESU truck approaching and says, "Is Matt likely to be on duty?"

"I don't know."

After appraising her expression, he says, "But you're ok about it?"

"Yes, Castle. I'm fine, thanks."

As it turns out, Matt isn't with the ESU team. But Beckett recognizes one of them and goes to say hello while they're getting ready. On returning to Castle, she says, "Matt's fine. He's taking some time off work, to be with his family."

"Good idea."

The ESU team make sure of the details, before leading the approach on the building. They quickly move to the suspect's apartment and, after announcing themselves, breach the door. Within seconds they've cleared every room without finding anyone. Beckett is keen to get in and have a look around, but understands the need to let the crime scene team do their work first. They're still waiting in the corridor with the remainder of the FBI team when Ryan and Esposito arrive. Beckett fills them in on what's happened and asks them to help out uniformed officers interviewing neighbors. When the guys have gone to do their job, Beckett sees that Castle is talking to Shaw. After that he makes a phone call and walks back to Beckett. At her questioning look, he says, "This guy is going to stand out. Cookie doesn't know him. But I sent him a copy of the sketch and he'll ask around."

Frowning, Beckett says, "Castle, you might be putting Cookie in danger."

"It's ok. He's helped me before. He knows to be careful."

"I hope so."

Castle can see that she's getting twitchy again and says, "Need another walk?"

She smiles, shakes her head and says, "I hate waiting."

Castle also smiles and says, "I've noticed." And then says, "I don't think he's been here for a while anyway, so I doubt they'll find anything useful."

"Why do you say that?"

"Jesus didn't live in an apartment."

Beckett thinks he's joking at first, but then says, "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yeah, his…schizo-thingy disorder is similar to whatever ails Sasha. Shaw says that his parents originally owned this place. So I think he'd hang on to it, but would have moved on once he got deeper into his Christ personality. Like how Sasha kept that place in the Bronx, but didn't live there. That's why I called Cookie. I think the suspect will have been living on the streets for a while. Which would also explain why we haven't found him."

"So, where on the streets?"

"I've no idea. That's why I was researching last night, instead of sleeping. But there's just too many places for a loner to hide out, even one who constantly fidgets, hardly sleeps, barely eats, has hair longer than Rapunzel and spouts scripture all the time."

Time proves Castle right. When the techs are finally finished they support his theory that no one has lived in the apartment for a long time. Beckett gets her chance at the apartment and finds further clues to the suspect's personality. In almost every room Christian iconography features heavily, from the hand-stitched plaques of bible quotes, to the huge, wooden crucifix in each bedroom. Castle whistles and says, "Poor guy didn't have much choice about which personality he'd pick."

Beckett says, "Yeah, every bible is well-worn too, as if they've been read a _lot_. I bet he knows it by heart."

Castle nods and says, "Shaw says he was on a Christian pilgrimage tour to Glastonbury when his parents were killed in a car accident. Relatives thought they were doing the right thing when they took care of everything without telling him. He returned home after the funeral. It must have seemed like his parents were just suddenly gone. He was only sixteen. He stayed with relatives, until his eighteenth birthday, when he officially inherited this place. Shaw should have more information later today."

Beckett says, "How come you're suddenly using her surname?"

"She's here with subordinates. You think I should still call her Jordan?"

"No, just curious."

He guesses why she's curious and says, "I mostly use your surname, even when we're alone, because you always call me Castle. If you want me to use your first name, _Kate_, all you have to do is ask."

Unable to meet his eye, she says, "I told you, I was just curious."

Castle is smiling as he resumes his search, and murmurs, "I'll take that as a _no_, then."

By the time they've finished with the apartment, Ryan and Esposito check in and confirm that Milton Evans hasn't been seen in the building for quite some time. Esposito says, "When he was here, he mostly kept to himself. Though several people saw him enough to confirm that his hair and beard kept on getting longer while he was here."

Ryan says, "An older couple remember that there was often yelling coming from the apartment. This would have been when he was a child."

Beckett says, "Do they think there was some sort of domestic abuse going on?"

Ryan shrugs and says, "They only said yelling. It's not the sort of place where people are likely to call the police on their neighbors. But I can look into it and see if anything was ever reported."

"Sounds good. We might as well head back to the precinct. Uniforms will keep canvassing and searching the neighborhood, in case he's nearby."

* * *

><p>They're not back at their desks long before Shaw and her team return. Castle follows them to the war room, saying, "I'll just make sure those shoes fit."<p>

Castle returns almost immediately, saying, "She seems to think that catching this guy is more important than trying on new shoes."

Beckett says, "Yeah, law enforcement officers are weird like that, even ones who like shoes."

Castle says, "Well, you're just going to be on the phone all day again. Email me any new information, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"You know, you could help us with the phone calls."

"Not even if they paid me, which they don't. But have fun."

* * *

><p>Despite Castle's intentions to get some work done, he sits down on the sofa and promptly falls asleep. He's woken by Alexis entering the apartment, and she greets him with, "Working hard?"<p>

After scrubbing his face with one hand, he says, "Hey, working hard is the reason I can't stay awake. A good daughter would make her father a cup of coffee."

Flouncing up the stairs, she says, "Maybe you'll have more luck with your next kid."

Proud of her wit, despite the fact that he has to get his own coffee, Castle takes it with him to his office and sits down to do some more research on the case. He finds an email from Beckett, disclosing that Milton Evans had been beaten, even whipped as a child. The abuse was only discovered after his parents died, when his aunt and uncle noticed the scars on his back and reported it to police. Once he's caught up on other details of the case, Castle once again turns to his research. Alexis interrupts him to say, "Are we ordering in?"

He looks at the time and realizes he's lost three hours, but says, "No. Sorry, sweetie. This case is messing with my head. Get started on something simple. I'll just wash up."

They settle for cold cuts and salad. After they've cleared, Alexis says, "If you're going back in there, I'll say goodnight now, because you're not coming out."

Castle frowns and says, "Are you mad at me?"

Alexis reassures him, "No, I know you're trying to prevent a murder. I'm just worried that you're letting it take over. You have to admit, it's not normal for you to fall asleep in the middle of the afternoon."

"True. But at least it means I took a rest." She's unconvinced, so he takes out his phone and says, "Ok. I'm setting an alarm for midnight, and I promise not to ignore it, ok?"

Alexis is finally appeased and kisses his cheek, saying, "Thanks, Dad. 'Night."

She's halfway up the stairs when he says, "Though I don't see why I should have an enforced bedtime, when you don't."

Alexis doesn't even turn around to say, "I've got class in the morning. You know very well that I'll be in bed before midnight."

Shaking his head at the marvel that is his daughter, he heads back to the office. He's forgotten all about his promise when the alarm goes off. His hand hovers over the laptop keys for a second, before he closes the lid and gets ready for bed.

Castle is woken by the sound of his phone. At first he wonders why the alarm is going off again, but realizes what's going on when he sees Cookie's ID and answers, "You found him?"

"Yeah, Castle. Yeah, I did…well, I think so. A friend reckons they saw your boy on East 4th Street, between Avenue C and D. There's a vacant building there between two construction sites. Want me to meet you there?"

"No, don't do that. If it is the guy, he's dangerous. But thanks for your help. I'll see you soon, ok?"

"Sure! Anytime, Castle. Any time. Watch your back."

"Will do. Thanks, Cookie."

Back at his laptop, Castle checks a detailed map of the area and realizes that he knows why the Nazirite chose that street. He's in the process of calling Beckett, when he remembers that he's already done that twice in the past week; the first time, she complained bitterly about being woken and the second time complained even louder about being dragged away from "research" with Josh. After imagining the possible consequences of going alone, he risks calling Shaw and immediately regrets it, when she answers, in a sleep-filled voice, "Do you realize that, if I add your name to the Terrorist Screening Database, you'd never be able to board a plane again?"

"I'm sorry, Jordan. But I may have found our guy, and I figured that you wouldn't want me to check it out by myself. Is that enough to keep me off the watch list?"

Suddenly alert, she says, "Yes, that'll do it. You've already called Beckett?"

"No, she's not happy when I call her after hours. I was hoping you'd be more reasonable…it must be a female thing."

"Don't push it, Rick. Where are you?"

"I'm at home, but we're heading to East 4th Street, south of the precinct."

"Ok, I'm staying at the East Village Bed and Coffee, 110 Avenue C. I'll be the FBI agent waiting outside in the cold."

Castle decides to take the Lincoln Town Car. After leaving a note for Alexis, just in case she wakes up, he heads out. With so little traffic on the streets, he's outside Shaw's motel in record time. She looks a little pathetic, huddled against the cold in jeans, sweater and jacket and, for once, sensible shoes. Castle can see that she's carrying a bulletproof vest, and presumes it's for him. She puts the vest on the back seat, and then climbs in the front, saying, "So, what makes you think…oh, wow!"

Castle beams and says, "I thought you might appreciate the seat warmer. You were saying?"

Lost in the luxury of heated, leather seats, Shaw says, "Yes, I was saying something…oh, yes; what makes you think that you've found him?"

"I know people without places. A friend called me with a sighting; an abandoned building on East 4th Street. I checked the map; it's almost opposite the Jardin del Paraiso. I could be butchering that. Spanish is not my thing. But I checked and it translates as Garden of Paradise, or Garden of Eden. The origin of the tradition of cleansing after contact with death comes from Genesis, and the source of the water is described as pouring from the Garden of Eden. What do you think?"

"I think that, if there's a body of water large enough to immerse himself, our suspect could well be there."

Castle smiles and says, "There's a large pond."

* * *

><p>Castle parks on East 4th Street, west of the garden. He puts on the vest under his jacket and they warily approach on foot. They make it to the locked, 5' high fence and Castle links his hands, to offer Shaw a foothold. She ignores him and easily climbs it without assistance. He climbs over, with a little less grace, and thuds to the ground beside her, muttering, "Well, you might have helped <em>me<em>."

Almost silently, she murmurs, "Shut up, Rick. And stay behind me."

She's unclipping her sidearm, when Castle whispers, "How about we start a new trend and _not_ immediately resort to violence? If you kill every person who's ill, you'll never find out how to cure them."

After considering for a second, Shaw leaves her sidearm in the holster and moves on. There's just enough light to make progress without a flashlight possible. They see the reed-filled pond, and there's still no sign of the suspect. Satisfied that the area is clear, Shaw uses her flashlight to scan the area. It's Castle who says, "There."

Shaw swings the light back and illuminates a plastic shopping bag. On closer examination, they see that it's full of what looks like long, human hair. Shaw already has a radio in hand and says, "That's it; time for backup. Stay put. I don't want you trampling all over the area."

Once she's called it in, Shaw snaps on gloves before examining the bag of hair. Castle says, "He's not done. The ritual of cleansing requires that he bathe, shave and then burn the hair."

Shaw nods her acknowledgment and continues scanning the area with her flashlight. The only warning Castle has is a sound of water lapping, before Milton Evans erupts from the water behind him and grabs him, wrapping one arm around Castle's throat. The two men are immediately illuminated by Shaw's flashlight. Castle struggles initially, until he realizes that the sharp pain on the side of his neck means that a knife is at his throat. Blinking against the light, he can see that Shaw has her sidearm out and aimed in his direction. Despite the gravity of his situation, he says, "For the record; I was doing exactly as instructed."

Shaw demands, "FBI! Drop the knife and get on the ground!"

When Evans ignores her, she repeats the command and Castle can hear a note of desperation creeping into her voice. He holds up his free hand, to reassure her and says, "My Lord, I have brought the lamb, the ram and the ewe." And then vows, "I intend to be a Nazirite, as the hairs on my head, or the dust of the earth, or the sands of the sea." When Evans doesn't react, Castle repeats the vow, and then wonders if he's imagining that the knife feels as if it's not pressed quite so close against his flesh. Reassured, he gives Shaw a tentative thumbs-up and is grateful when she nods, though she doesn't lower the gun at all. Whilst keeping the knife against his throat, Evans turns Castle to face him. Finally able to see his attacker, Castle immediately feels compassion for him. Evans is almost skeletal in appearance, and shivering with cold, despite being fully-clothed. Though Castle knows the young man is only 25 years old, Evans looks more like he's in his forties. It's obvious that Castle and Shaw interrupted him while he was cutting his hair, because some long brands still hang from his head. Genuinely moved, Castle says, "My Lord, how may I serve you?"

Unable to stop shivering, Evans stammers, "All the d…days of his separation, he is holy unto the Lord."

Silently cursing the inadequacies of his brain, Castle tries to recall anything else he's found in his research and says, "Purer than snow, whiter than milk, polished as sapphires." He finally sees a light of recognition in Evans' eyes and risks holding out a hand for the knife. But Evans remains unconvinced, so Castle says, "He shall be a Nazirite unto God from the womb, and deliver Israel from the Phillistines."

It's enough, and Castle can hear sirens as Evans hands over the knife and kneels on the ground. Castle puts his jacket around Evans' shoulders. Without turning around, he says to Shaw, "Jordan, please don't let them shoot him." And then he starts cutting the remaining locks of hair from the poor man's head.

Castle has started shaving Evans' head, by the time uniformed officers arrive. They have to use bolt-cutters on the chain at the gate, but it doesn't slow them down much. Shaw keeps her gun on Evans, until he's handcuffed. As they haul him away, she says, "Let the paramedics have a look at him." Finally able to relax, she walks over to Castle and punches him in the arm. Castle exclaims, "Ow! What was that for? I did everything you told me to."

"Next time, call Beckett." And then says, "How did you know all that stuff?"

Castle shrugs and says, "I've been researching everything I could find about Nazirites…I guess some of it sunk in." Shaw notices something and shines the torch on him. Castle protests, until Shaw says, "Your neck, Castle. You'd better see the paramedics too."

He touches his neck and feels the blood, and then says, "Maybe you could leave this out of your report? If Beckett knows I was injured again…well, she punches harder than you do."

They're walking towards the ambulance and Shaw says, "I guess I can keep quiet about it." And then she says, "You know why she does that, right?"

Castle smiles and says, "You tell me; you're the one who just assaulted me for no apparent reason." And then he muses, "I wonder if your reason is the same as hers?"

"What? No. I just…"

Castle interrupts her to say, "I'm messing with you, Jordan." He grins and continues, "Though, if I thought I had a shot with you, I might start writing about a hot, FBI agent with great taste in shoes." And then loses the grin to say, "I know why she's afraid of me getting hurt. It's Beckett that has trouble understanding it."

"Oh, she understands…didn't you read the profile?"

"No. I gave it to Beckett, unopened. Though now I'm regretting it. What did it say?"

"You know, I think maybe I'll keep quiet about that too. I might have to work with her again."

"Fair enough."

Castle can see that Evans is now in the back seat of a patrol car. Shaw heads over to talk to officers, while Castle lets an EMT dress his wound. Apparently, there's not much to see, once the blood is cleared away and they only put a light dressing on it. They're finishing up when he sees Beckett's car arriving at the scene. He quickly thanks the technician and pulls the collar of his jacket up over the bandage. Beckett is making a beeline for him and looks furious. Shaw intercepts her and says, "It wasn't his fault. He did the right thing and called me. But Evans ambushed us. He's in custody now, and probably only alive because Castle was here."

It's not enough to erase the frown from Beckett's forehead, but she's slowed down a little as she approaches Castle and says, "Why didn't you call me?"

Prepared for the inevitable physical onslaught, Castle says, "Because you get very grouchy when I call you in the middle of the night."

He flinches when Beckett reaches a hand towards him, but she only pushes aside his collar, to reveal the bandage and says, "How bad is it?"

Relieved to get off so lightly, he downplays only a little, saying, "He barely touched me. I've had worse shaving cuts."

When her frown finally eases, he realizes it was more concern than anger and says, "I'm sorry. I'll call next time, if that's what you want."

"I'll probably still be grouchy, but I _want_ you to call me, ok?"

"Ok, I promise." Castle sees the patrol car pulling away and exclaims, "Damn it!"

"What's wrong?"

"I just lost another one. Evans was drenched, so I gave him my jacket."

Relieved that it's nothing worse, Beckett says, "That's enough for you, Castle. You need a ride home?"

Castle can't help a grin as he says, "No. Jordan lets me drive. I brought the Lincoln." Suddenly weary, he says, "But I think you're right. I need to sleep for a couple of days. I'll see you on Monday?"

"Yeah, see you Monday." As he walks over to Shaw, Beckett pats his shoulder and says, "I'm glad you're ok."

Shaw is talking to CSU investigators. As he approaches, Castle can hear that she's coordinating a search of the vacant building that Cookie mentioned. He waits until she's finished and says, "You're staying?"

"Yes. Now that I'm here, I might as well see it through." Looking him up and down, she says, "You appear to be in one piece. She took it ok?"

Castle frowns and says, "Yeah, she was…nice, actually."

Appraising only his face this time, Shaw says, "It scares you, doesn't it?"

Castle smiles and says, "Profiling me now?"

Shaw shrugs and says, "It's a habit." And then she says, "I'll be leaving in the morning. As always, it's been exciting. I'll see you next time, Rick."

He grins and says, "Would it violate any Bureau regulations, if I kiss you goodbye?"

Shaw smiles and says, "Probably, but we'll permit it just this once."

* * *

><p>When Castle enters his apartment, he's almost knocked off his feet by Alexis, who embraces him and says, "Dad! Thank God you're ok."<p>

"What's going on? Didn't you see my note? I told you that my phone would be turned off, but not to worry."

Incredulous, she says, "You're kidding, right? You disappear in the middle of the night, in the middle of a case, and you think that I won't worry?"

Finally understanding, he says, "You called Beckett."

"Yes, I called her. I was nearly frantic when even she didn't know…"

Castles realizes that she's noticed the bandage on his neck and says, "It's just a scratch, honest. I'm fine. And I wasn't pulling a Lone Ranger act. I was with a highly experienced FBI agent. I can give you her phone number, if you want to check my story."

"No, that's ok. You wouldn't lie about this. Is it done now?"

"Yes, it's done. The poor man was in a pretty bad way. I don't think he'll ever see the outside of a psychiatric hospital." She still looks worried, so he says, "Should I leave a different note next time? I didn't expect you to come downstairs. So I didn't go into much detail."

Alexis thinks for a second and says, "No. But maybe you could at least tell Beckett where you are next time?"

"Oh, don't worry; she already made me promise that. Can I go to bed now?"

Finally able to smile, Alexis embraces him once more and says, "Yes, Dad, you can go to bed. But I'm seriously considering grounding you."

He smiles and says, "After the week I've had, I'll probably let you."

The End

* * *

><p>Author's note: In case I don't see you before the 25th; Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it and Happy Holidays to the rest of you. Thanks for reading.<p> 


End file.
